Scottish Land and Estates has urged the UK Government to commit to schemes enabling rural businesses to keep employing workers from abroad post-Brexit.
The organisation that represents landowners, farmers and land-based companies across Scotland said it would be important for employers to be able to recruit workers from EU countries and beyond, as well as resident workers.
A review, published yesterday, calls on Theresa May to confirm the status of EU migrant workers already resident in the UK.
It also seeks sector-specific schemes that ensure availability of seasonal and skilled labour if free movement is removed and an immigration policy ensuring the supply of workers across the rural economy is sufficient to ensure businesses can invest and grow.
David Johnstone, chairman of the organisation, highlighted the important role workers from EU countries play in Scotland’s rural industries.
He added: “Farms and other rural businesses need to plan for the future and will want to know that after Brexit there will still be a flexible, skilled and secure workforce so they can continue to invest in their businesses and secure or create jobs.
“This should include the creation of a seasonal agricultural workers scheme post-Brexit enabling people to enter the UK for a specific job, for a set period of time without the right to remain afterwards.
“Similar schemes have worked well in the past in agriculture and will help farmers.
“Tourism is another important sector for our members and similar schemes will also be needed in such sectors.”
